First building confirmed for Glasgow’s new satellite business district

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First building for new Glasgow business district

Building work is set to get underway at Glasgow's new satellite business district after project costs for the development's first building were approved by the board of Clyde Gateway.

The largest office development with planning consent in Scotland, Magenta will comprise 1.2 million square feet of office space set on the 27-acre former Shawfield industrial estate, next to the River Clyde just ten minutes from Glasgow's city centre.

The first building on the site will be Red Tree Shawfield, a 3,780sqm Grade A office building that will provide business suites ranging in size from 10 to 168 sq m, aimed at encouraging the growth of SMEs and creating local employment opportunities.

It is expected that Red Tree will create around 250 new jobs and will be complete by summer 2018. This will be the third Red Tree business incubator in the Clyde Gateway area, with two already in place at Rutherglen and Bridgeton.

The project is procured through Scape Group's National Major Works framework. Scape Group is a public sector owned built environment specialist offering a full suite of national frameworks and innovative design solutions.

The building, designed by architects NORR and to be delivered by Robertson, aims to attract businesses in target sectors such as media, communications, IT, training and engineering. It will benefit from superfast broadband and offer up to a gigabit of bandwidth. As well as the business suites, the building will also feature a conference room, meeting rooms, breakout spaces, kitchen areas, a café and a 70-space car park.

Ian Manson, chief executive at Clyde Gateway, said: "Our Red Tree brand has proven to be very successful with the two existing office blocks operating at full capacity. This £9 million investment in a four-storey block marks the beginning of what will be a remarkable and eye-catching transformation of Shawfield and will be the first building at Magenta, the satellite business district that we launched last year with Highbridge Properties.

"The many companies who have already made Clyde Gateway their home are seeing first-hand why this area is such a fantastic location to do business and an attractive proposition for investment. We are seeing continuing demand for cost-effective, high-quality business suites that offer flexibility, modern amenities, excellent transport links and first-class digital connectivity, and Red Tree Shawfield ticks all those boxes."

Adrian Hill, consultant at Highbridge Properties PLC, Clyde Gateway's development partner for Magenta, said: "To have the first building confirmed for Magenta is a significant milestone for the project, which will eventually become one of the UK's largest office parks and bring 12,000 jobs to the area.

"The location of Magenta is outstanding – just ten minutes from the city centre, 15 minutes from Glasgow Airport, two minutes from the M74, and with ample parking available on site. This, along with the superb infrastructure and value for money, is why it such a compelling option for businesses."